Agricultural News

The Animal Agriculture Alliance’s 2019 Stakeholders Summit kicked off today with record attendance, bringing 335 food and agriculture stakeholders to Kansas City, Missouri. The event, themed “A Seat At The Table,” started with a consumer focus group led by Anne-Marie Roerink of 210 Analytics.

Six consumers were asked about their meat purchasing habits, including how much price, taste, appearance, animal welfare, antibiotics and labeling claims matter. The consumers agreed taste, price and appearance are important when they stand at the meat case, but had differing opinions when it came to animal welfare and antibiotic use. Some said animal welfare is a main driver of their purchasing decisions, while others agreed it was important, but wasn’t top-of-mind. Several panelists mentioned they rely on the retailers to source humanely-raised meat and poultry products.

When asked if antibiotic use labels have an impact on purchasing decisions, some panelists mentioned how they realize that what goes into the animal eventually impacts their health, so they prefer not to have antibiotics, but are eager to learn more about why antibiotics may be used and the different types that are used in livestock production. A key theme from the panel discussion was trust in labels with most of them feeling wary of label enforcement and the meanings behind different labels.

To continue the discussion of food labels, G. Donald Ritter, DVM, director of technical marketing at Mountaire Farms Inc. discussed the new One Health Certified program. Ritter called the program “a triple win,” explaining that “One Health Certified recognizes that the health of animals, people and the planet are linked together and strives to create optimal outcomes for all three.”

Ritter said current meat labels are confusing as he highlighted 18 different antibiotic labels and several unintended consequences of striking antibiotics from the supply chain. The program was built by a coalition of chicken, turkey and pork stakeholders along with NGO’s, university scientists, government advisers and 36 leading retailers and restaurant chains who shared the same vision of wanting a better labeling program. The purpose of One Health Certified is to reduce consumer confusion and take care of the animals in a responsible and sustainable way. It will also be the first certification program to include environmental impact and will likely be available this summer.

Next, a panel of leaders in the beef industry took the stage to discuss sustainability in a session titled, “From Birth to Burger: Industry-Led Beef Supply Chain Animal Welfare and Sustainability Efforts.” Kristen Parman, vice president of membership services at Livestock Marketing Association kicked off the session by introducing the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program and the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (USRSB) as two examples of collective efforts to provide consumers with high-quality beef.

“The conversation around sustainability has been happening for a very long time,” said Debbie Lyons-Blythe, rancher at Blythe Family Farm. “Take care of the land, take care of the animals, take care of the people and make money,” is how Lyons-Blythe defined sustainability. “If you don’t make money, you’re not a sustainable business.” She appreciates engaging with USRSB because of the importance put on getting grassroots input from producer organizations and individual ranchers like herself, instead of the traditional top-down approach.

Justin Nelson, vice president of cattle procurement at Tyson Foods explained sustainability is about having a business model that allows companies and farms to operate for years and provide a product people love while simultaneously protecting the environment. “Sustainability requires transparency,” said Nelson.

Each panelist was asked how to effectively communicate about beef sustainability. Parman said, “tearing down the walls and letting people come in. Not being afraid to have a dialogue and tackle the misinformation.” Lyons-Blythe added, “it’s all about respect” and was careful to avoid using the term “educate” as it should be more of a conversation with the public. Nelson ended the session by reiterating how transparency is key and “seeing is believing,” recommending attendees invite retailers to their operations.

Attendees will also hear from restaurant and foodservice brands today about how their companies make decisions on topics like animal welfare, antibiotic use and sustainability. To tune in to the livestream to listen to today’s afternoon sessions, visit https://agtoday.us/a-seat-at-the-table.

Be sure to check the Summit website for the most up-to-date Summit information. You can also follow the hashtags #AAA19 for periodic updates about the event. For general questions about the Summit please contact summit@animalagalliance.org or call (703) 562-5160.